Recipe: Baked Crepes With Ham and Mushrooms

On Mondays I roll out of bed extra early, creeping around in the dim dawn light, pulling on jeans and a sweater, my kitchen clogs. I don’t make coffee, even though I really could use it, for fear of waking my sleeping kids.

That’s OK, because making coffee is the first order of business for the morning kitchen volunteer at the Zen Hospice Guest House, and for the last year or so, on Monday mornings, that volunteer is me.

People scrunch up their faces when I tell them I cook for residents at a hospice. In part I think it’s because they’re surprised to learn that these residents, staring death down, still want to eat at all. But I’m sure it’s also because they imagine this work to be depressing. Nothing could be further from the truth: I find this intentional, mindful cooking to be uplifting. When I scramble those eggs and toast that bread, the work becomes a meditation, an exercise in love and care. I slide the eggs onto a warmed plate. I set the tray with a spray of flowers, a ramekin of brilliant orange apricot jam. I am not a religious person, but making that breakfast is like saying grace.

I call this sort of work meditative cooking, by which I mean the type of cooking that allows you to happily lose yourself in the process. Early on in my tenure in the hospice, MaryEllen Kirkpatrick, the kitchen director, shared the house recipe for crepes. Rich with eggs and butter, crepes can be used in many applications, for breakfast or lunch or dinner. And the process of making them is repetitive, soothing: Ladling the batter into the hot pan, where it sizzles and spits, simultaneously tilting the pan so it flows into a thin, even circle. Watching the edges for browning, then sliding a spatula under and flipping. It’s not difficult, exactly, but you have to pay attention, making them one at a time until all the batter is gone and you’ve got a decent stack.

Recipe: Baked Crepes With Ham and Mushrooms

2of 2Making crepes can be a meditative exercise with ladling the batter and then turning the crepes as they brown.

At home when I make crepes, I peel two from the stack, spread them with Nutella and give one to each of my two boys. The rest I save for supper (it’s worth mentioning that crepes freeze beautifully; separate them with sheets of parchment or wax paper and wrap tightly with plastic wrap). To make these thin pancakes dinner-worthy, I top each with a slice of ham, fill them with sauteed mushrooms, then roll them into tight cylinders, cozying them up together in a casserole dish. A bechamel sauce, enhanced by the addition of Gruyère cheese, gets spooned over the top, and then the crepes are briefly baked until bubbly and browned. This is just one variation, though — you could fill them with mushrooms and spinach, or pulled chicken and Swiss chard, or ratatouille. No matter the combination, the fundamental assembly — and the crepe recipe — remains the same.

If you end up making crepes often, you might invest in a thin carbon steel crepe pan, made especially for the job. But if you’re just trying it out for the first time, a small nonstick skillet works well, too.

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A recipe for crepes is hardly the only thing I’ve learned in my time volunteering in the hospice kitchen, but it’s a good way to practice some of the other lessons: to slow down, to take some care in even the most quotidian tasks. I get lost in the meditation and, before I know it, it’s time to eat.

To make the crepe batter: Put the eggs, milk and salt in the bowl of a blender and blend until smooth. Add the flour and blend for 20 seconds, then drizzle in the butter and blend for 10 seconds more. Let the batter stand for 20 minutes (the batter can be made a day ahead; cover tightly with plastic and refrigerate. Whisk well before using, as the flour will sink to the bottom of the bowl).

To make the filling: While the batter rests, make the filling. In a large frying pan over medium-high heat melt the butter. Add the mushrooms and a generous pinch of salt and cook, stirring. The mushrooms will at first be dry and squeaky in the pan, but as they cook they’ll release their liquid, which will evaporate. Cook until the mushrooms are tender and lightly browned, about 6 to 7 minutes. Remove from the heat, stir in the thyme and season to taste with additional salt and pepper. Set aside.

Heat an 8-inch crepe pan or nonstick frying pan over medium-high heat and brush with a small amount of clarified butter or oil. Lift the pan from the burner with one hand. With your other hand, ladle about a ¼ cup of batter into the center of the pan. Immediately tilt the pan in all directions so the batter spreads into a thin, even circle. Return the pan to the burner and cook until the edges of the crepe look papery and brown, about 20 to 30 seconds. With your fingers or an offset spatula, flip the crepe and cook on the second side until browned. Transfer to a plate. Repeat the process, greasing the pan with additional butter as necessary, until all the crepes have been cooked. You should have about 16 crepes, but often the first one you make may stick and the last one may be a bit small; the goal is 14 good crepes. The crepes can be stored tightly wrapped in the refrigerator for up to 3 days or frozen for up to a month. Before freezing, separate each crepe with a small piece of parchment or wax paper to prevent them from sticking.

Lightly butter a 9-inch-by-13-inch baking dish. Working with one crepe at a time, spread a very small skim coat of mustard on one side. Top with a slice of ham, followed by a spoonful of cooked mushrooms, arranging them in a line down the center. Tightly roll the crepe into a cylinder and place in the prepared baking dish. Repeat the filling and rolling until all of the crepes have been used.

To make the bechamel: In a medium saucepan, melt the butter. When the butter has melted, whisk in the flour and cook, whisking, until pale brown and toasty smelling, about 30 seconds. Whisk in the warm milk. Cook, whisking, until the mixture bubbles and thickens, then whisk in the Gruyère until melted and smooth. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

To serve: Spoon the bechamel over and around the crepes in the baking dish, and top with the grated Parmigiano. Arrange an oven rack 5 inches from the broiler and preheat the broiler. Slide the baking dish under the broiler, and broil until the bechamel is browned and bubbling, 3 to 4 minutes. Serve right away.